Electric regulation



Jan. 22 1924.

J. L. CREVELING ELECTRIC REGULATION Original Filed April 9, 1917 INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

.' UNITED STATES JOHN L. CREVELING,

, i,431,s06, PATENT OFFICE.

01 WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWT YORK.

ELECTRIC REGULATION.

Application filed. April 9, 1917, Serial No. 160,718. Renewed April 25, 1,923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. CREVELING, a citizen of the United States, residing at White Plains, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Regulation, set forth in the annexed specification and drawing, forming a part thereof.

My invention pertains tothat class of 0 electric regulation wherein a dynamo electric machine is automaticall regulated in a predetermined manner, an has for a particular object to provide means whereby the same may be automatically regulated within narrow limits and wherein the regulation will be performed in such manner as to be appropriate for the conditions under which the dynamo is operated.

My invention isparticularly applicable to systems wherein a dynamo operating as a generator with variable speed of rotation of its armature is used to charge a storage battery and operate lamps or translating devices in conjunction therewith which are supplied by thebattery when the dynamo is in operative. More specifically, one of the principal objects oi ny invention is to rovide a system wherein a generator wil be automatically regulated under certain conditions in response to fluctuations in the current supplied by the generator to a storage battery or other source of counter-electromotive force capable of reversing the direction of current through the regulating apparatus, and wherein, upon such reversals, the proper operation of the generator will not be interfered with.

In the drawing, Fig. i is a diagrammatic representation of one type of system chosen to show one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of a system somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. I and possessing an tirld-itional feature not shown in Fig. I but comprehended by my invention; and Fig. III shows a modification that may be made inthe system of Fi 11.

Referring particu arly to Fig. I, l. represents a dynamo or generator driven at variable and intermittent speeds, in this instance indicated as a plain shunt machine, provided with the field coil 2 having in operative relation thereto any suitable type of regulating element or device, in thisinstanoe indicated as a carbon pile 3 in series with said coil.

shunt thereto.

variable resistance indicated at 26.

It will therefore be evident that the operation of the generator may be regulated by proper manipulation of the pile 3. The pile 3 rests at one extremity against the abutting member 4, which may be made adjustable if desired. The other end of the pile may have variable pressures eirerted thereupon b means of the short arm 5 of the bell-era lever, provided with the long arm 6 and pivotally supported as indicated at 7. 8 is a movable weight carried by the lever 6, which may have its position altered for thepurpose of adjustment; while 9 is a dash-pot cooperating with the lever 6 to prevent too sudden movement thereof. The lever 6 has pivotally united therewith a rod of brass or other non-magnetic material 10, carrying a core of iron or other magnetic material" it, surrounded by the coils or solenoids l2 and 13. The lower extremity of the core 11 is operatively connected with the dash-pot in-' dicated at 14, which may serve as a guide and prevent too sudden movement being impartedto the core 11. 15 is a solenoid provided with the core 16.; as indicated in dotted lines, which carries at its upper extremity a rod or" non-magnetic material 17 which serves as a guide for one end of the said core while the other end of the core is provided with n dashpot 18 which serves as a guide and prevents too isudden movement thereof. The positive terminal of the generator 1 is connected by wire 19 with one side of a suitable automatic switch 20, the opposite side of which is connected as by wire 21 with the positive terminals ofthe translating devices 22, which have their negative terminals connected with the negative side of the gener ator through the lead 23. 24 is a storage battery connected across leads 21 and 23 through the solenoid 18, which is preferably of coarse wire adapted to carry the full charging or discharging current of the battery; while the portion of such current that shall circulate through the coil 13 may "be adjusted as by the variable resistance 25 in The solenoid 12 is preferably of fine wire and in shunt across the generator, as indicated, and has in series therewith, for the purpose of adj ustmentg aiie e arrangement of the solenoids 12 and 13 with respect to the" core 11 may or may not be such as diagrammatically portrayed in the drawing, but may be any relationa desired charging current passing through the coil 13, the combined action of the two coils will be such that, 'if the voltage remain substantially constant and too great a charging current should tend to flow, the said current will not be allowed to exceed a predetermined chosen limit, as the core 11 will be raised so as to lift the lever 6 and decrease the pressure upon the pile 3 so as to prevent this maximum current from being exceeded. By properly proportion'ing and arranging the coils 12 and 13, the current delivered to the battery may be more or less varied with reference to the condition of the battery, as indicated by its voltage. For, as the battery voltage rises, as for example due to charging, a greater voltage willbe maintained by the generator and coil 12 will become somewhat stronger. And, therefore, the current necessary in the coil 13 to affect the generator regulation will be somewhat less,

and will diminish somewhat as the voltage across the battery rises. This may be taken advantage of, under certain conditions, when it is desirable. However, it is within my invention to use any means desired to maintain a constant voltage across the solenoid 12, if it'be desired that the maximum battery charging current shall always be of fixed value. If at any time the voltage across the generator tend to exceed a predetermined desirable limit, I so adjust the operation of the coil. 15 that ,it will then raise its core and bring the rod 17 into con tact with the lever 6 and prevent this desired maximum voltage from being exceeded. Therefore, the generator be regulated in response to voltage fluctuations by the voltage coil '15, and the battery voltage rise so as tomore and more nearly approach the value held constant by the said voltage coil, the current to the battery will naturally fall oh and approach zero as the generator and battery voltages approach each other. However, should the battery voltage at any time reach a suiiiciently low value that the generator will tend to deliver thereto too great a charging current, the same will be prevented by the operation in response to coil 13 cooperating as it does with the coil 12 to affect the core 11. If, while thus operating to charge the battery and supply the translating devices the generator; have its speed cut down, it will reach a pomt where a part of the current will be, supplied by the battery and part by the generator; and,

notwithstanding the voltage across the generator may be almost the normal voltage, coil 12 will be revented from materially tending to lift t e core 11 as the current supplied. to'the lamps through coil 13 will be in a reverse direction, weakening or tending to nullify the effect of coil 12. If the generator speed continue to fall, the voltage across 12 will, of course, fall, and the cod downwardly so as to tend to decrease.

the resistance 3 and maintain the generator at as high voltage as possible for its speed at that time.

An operation of that system shown in Fig. II is substantially the same as that outlined above with respect to Fi I, with the exception that there will In no downward pulling effect exerted by the core 11 upon the lever 6, as the said core is not connected therewith but so arranged as to raise the lever by contact therewith when the windings lift the core 11. And if at any time the generator total output tend to exceed a prcdetcrmined limit, coil 27 will raise its core 30 so as to bring the member 31- into contact with the lever 6 and prevent the total gcnerator output from exceeding this predetermined limit, which limit in F ig. II may be modified in accordance with the voltage upon coil 28, if desired; while at all times the battery charging current will 5 be prevented from exceeding a predetermined limit by coils 12 and 13, as outlinedwith respect to Fig. I, and the voltage will be held from exceeding a predetermined limit by coil 15, as also outlined with respect to Fig. I, and at no time will the current flowing from the battery to the lamps affect the resistance controlling the generator in such manner as to prevent the proper picking up of the generator at low speed. It will be obvious that the core 11 of Fig. I may have the rod 10 disconnected from the lever G, as shown in Fig. II, in which event current flowing from the battery to the lamps cannot tend to compress the pile. However, it

will not interfere with the other instrumentalities adapted to compress the pile, regardless of the strength of the current in said coil. And it will further be obvious that the core 11 of Fig. II might be united with I automatic current regulator responsive to fluctuations in current in the battery charging circuit, but not suffering the draw-back met with in most such systems wherein the current supplied by the battery to the translating devices when the generator is at rest tends to increase the field resistance in such manner as to tend to interfere with the proper building up of the generator field at low speed, and that I accomplish this with out contacts or switching means or such vious that wide departure may be made there equivalents for shunting current away from the battery current responsive mechanism as are often used for this purpose,

T do not wish in any way to limitmyselfto any of the exact details of construction or operation given above to illustrate an embodiment of my invention, for it will be obin without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What it claim is:

1; The combination with regulating means and a magnetic member for affecting the, same, of means for energlzlng said member capable of alone producing lihe regulating effects thereupon regardless of the direction of excitation, and means incapable of alone operating the regulating means cooperating to assist said energizing means in aidecting said member to affect the regulating means when the energizing means is excited in one direction only, said energizing means, when so assisted, affecting the regulating means in a direction opposed to its edect thereupon alone.

' cause the generator output to be decreased and current flowing from the batterythrough said coil to the translation .circuit always tends to afi'ect the regulating means in the direction that causes the generator held to be increased. l

3. The combination with a generator, of a regulator having a plurality of actuating coils and means cooperating therewith whereby when one coil is inert the other coilv tends to increase the generator output and when both coils are energized their mutual efi'ect tends to limit the generator output.

, d. The combination with a dynamo, storage battery, and translating devices, of

means for regulating the dynamo comprehending a L regulating device, operating means therefor comprising a coil in circuit with the battery afi'ected in one direction when thedyhamo is charging the batteryand in an opposite direction when the bat-L tery is supplying the translating devices, means influenced by'said coil to afi'ect, the

1 regulating device, said coil and said means alone being ineffective to appreciably reduce the activity of the d namo, regardless of the magnitude f the e ort exerted thereby, and

means cooperating therewith to afiect the regulating device to reduce the activity of the dynamo only when the-dynamo is suplying current menace 5. The combinationwith a generator, stor-T age battery, and translating circuit supplied thereby, of means for regulating the genv I erator in response to fluctuations in the bat tery chargingcurrent and, in another sense, in response to the battery discharging current, and independent means cooperating therewith to all'ect the regulating means in response to the total generator output.

6. The combination witha generator and storage battery, of a regulator for the generator, means for. controlling the regulator V, comprehending a core of magnetic material, a coilin series with the battery and surrounding said core, the position of said coil with respect to said core being such that cur rent ilowingto and from the battery is inefiective to move the core to appreciably reduce the activity of the generator, a coil wound about said core and so energized and related to said core that it cooperates with the first named coil and both coils thus cooperating work together to limit the activity or the generator when the current in the first named coil is flowing from the generator to the battery.

7. The combination with a generator and storage battery, of a regulator for the gencrater, means'tor controlling the regulator comprehending a core of magnetic material, a coil in series with the battery and sur rounding said core, the position of said coil with respect to said core being such that current flowing to and from the battery isinetiective to move the core to appreciably rel ll duce the activity of the generator, a coil wound about said core and so energized and related to said core that it cooperates with the first named coil and-both coils thus cooperatingwork together to limit the activity 1105 of the generator when the current in the first named coil is flowing from the generator to the battery, and independent responsive means adapted to cooperate withsaid coils to limit the voltageoli the generator, and, in

cooperation with the second coil above men-- 'tioned, control the entire regulation of the generator when the battery becomes charged and the current in the first named coil tails oil to an inappreciable value.

8. The combination with a generator, storage battery, and translating devices supplied thereby, of means for regulating the gen.-

erator in response tofiuctuations in the battery charging current and,.1n another sense,

in response to battery discharging current, and independent means cooperating therewith to afl'ect the regulating means in response to voltage fluctuations and'dominat when 1% ing in the regulation of the generator its voltage reaches a predetermined limit.

9 The combination with a source of electrical potential difierence, regulating means therefor, a storage battery and translating circuit sup-plied thereby, of

means for controllin the regulating means com rising a movab e member, a plurality of coi cooperating to magnetically affect said member and so connected and arranged with respect 5 thereto that current flowing into the battery from the source, through one of said coils, tends to cause the electrical otential difierence at said source to be decreased, and current flowing through said coil from the battery to the translating circuit always tends to cause the regulating means to tend to increase the value of the electrical potential.

difference at said source.

JOHN L. CREVELING. 

